A total of 64 Indian fishermen, who were imprisoned in Bagerhat district jail for illegally fishing in Bangladeshi waters, have been released.
The fishermen were handed over to the Coast Guard and police officials on Thursday.
According to Bagerhat District Jail Superintendent Shankar Kumar Majumder, 48 of the fishermen were arrested on October 17, 2024 while the remaining were arrested on November 20, 2024 for fishing illegally in Bangladeshi territory.
They were handed over to the Mongla police station, and cases were filed against them under the Marine Fisheries Act.
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On December 30 last year, Bagerhat Senior Judicial Magistrate Court Judge Kamrul Azad discharged the 64 fishermen from the case, leading to their release order from the Ministry of Home Affairs on December 31. Following the directive, the fishermen were released from the district jail today.
A Coast Guard official from Mongla Zone said that the fishermen were transferred to the Coast Guard base in Mongla under tight security. They will be handed over to the Indian authorities tomorrow as per the arrangements.